Definitions for Linux

Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word Linux.

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

Linux(noun)

an open-source version of the UNIX operating system

Freebase(5.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like and mostly POSIX-compliant computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open-source software development and distribution. The defining component of Linux is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on 5 October 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to describe the operating system, which has led to some controversy.
Linux was originally developed as a free operating system for Intel x86–based personal computers, but has since been ported to more computer hardware platforms than any other operating system. It is the leading operating system on servers and other big iron systems such as mainframe computers and supercomputers, but is used on only around 1% of desktop computers. Linux also runs on embedded systems, which are devices whose operating system is typically built into the firmware and is highly tailored to the system; this includes mobile phones, tablet computers, network routers, facility automation controls, televisions and video game consoles. Android, the most widely used operating system for tablets and smartphones, is built on top of the Linux kernel.

The New Hacker's Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

Linux

The free Unix workalike created by Linus Torvalds and friends
starting about 1991. The pronunciation /li´nuhks/ is preferred because the
name ‘Linus’ has an /ee/ sound in Swedish (Linus's family is
part of Finland's 6% ethnic-Swedish minority) and Linus considers English
short /i/ to be closer to
/ee/ than English long /i:/. This may be the most remarkable
hacker project in history — an entire clone of Unix for 386, 486 and
Pentium micros, distributed for free with sources over the net (ports to
Alpha and Sparc and many other machines are also in use).Linux is what GNU aimed to be, and it relies
on the GNU toolset. But the Free Software Foundation didn't produce the
kernel to go with that toolset until 1999, which was too late. Other,
similar efforts like FreeBSD and NetBSD have been technically successful
but never caught fire the way Linux has; as this is written in 2003, Linux
has effectively swallowed all proprietary Unixes except Solaris and is
seriously challenging Microsoft. It has already captured 41% of the
Internet-server market and over 25% of general business servers.An earlier version of this entry opined “The secret of Linux's
success seems to be that Linus worked much harder early on to keep the
development process open and recruit other hackers, creating a snowball
effect.” Truer than we knew. See
bazaar.(Some people object that the name ‘Linux’ should be used
to refer only to the kernel, not the entire operating system. This claim
is a proxy for an underlying territorial dispute; people who insist on the
term GNU/Linux want the
FSF to get most of the credit for Linux because RMS
and friends wrote many of its user-level tools. Neither this theory nor
the term GNU/Linux has gained more
than minority acceptance).

Numerology

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of Linux in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of Linux in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

Some people have told me they don't think a fat penguin really embodies the grace of Linux, which just tells me they have never seen a angry penguin charging at them in excess of 100mph. They'd be a lot more careful about what they say if they had.